


A Decent Proposal

by Thepenismightier



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: F/M, Implied Smut, One Shot, Romance, Tumblr Prompt, things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 17:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15635352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepenismightier/pseuds/Thepenismightier
Summary: Thrawn has an offer for Hera...





	A Decent Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt by the wonder, oh-so-fanatastic handsofthrawn over at Tumblr. Amazing idea. Took 12 hours. One shot. Enjoy.

Morning sunlight warmed Hera’s skin, reflected off of Vaynai’s turquoise ocean. Her body was sprawled across a large bed, pristine ivory sheets haphazardly wrapped around her naked frame. Her thoughts turned to how she’d ended up there, gazing through the towering glass window that looked upon a resort beach...

For her, this was nothing more than a personal business transaction. The budding Rebellion’s resources couldn’t be spared for something that could be considered trivial, despite the support her crew had shown in the past. Things were progressing and that progression brought voices from across the galaxy. 

The return of her Kalikori would be a waste of time. And she would have considered it a fair assessment had she brought it up to Sato. Or anyone else. 

So when she received an encrypted message from a particular Grand Admiral, the correspondence was kept secret. 

“My offer is of a personal nature,” Thrawn’s calm, detached voice had explained, “in exchange for the return of your Kalikori, I ask for a small amount of your time.”

His voice had sent a shiver down her spine. 

Hera had considered making several rude gestures before closing the channel and going about her business. But the bait that was used was too enticing to rule it out altogether.  

“I’m listening.” Hera had replied coolly, fully prepared so send him a strong rebuke in return. 

“Three days of your time on a neutral planet. Nothing more, nothing less. Both parties unarmed and unaccompanied.” He continued, laying out each detail as vaguely as possible. The channel was still open but he was met with silence— an indication that she was at least giving thought to his offer. 

“I’m going to need more details, Admiral. From where I’m sitting, this smells like a trap.”

“As I said before,” Thrawn used applied patience, as if he were explaining how to work out a math problem, “This arrangement is personal. I have something you need—“ he paused with a hint of a smile upon his blue lips, “and you have something I want. We will meet on Vaynai.”

 _Vaynai_ , Hera thought to herself, _hope he’s paying..._

Absolutely nothing he was saying made a lick of sense. Hera glared at nothing in particular while she attempted to work things out. As a pilot, Hera had adapted to weighing the pros and cons of a situation with blinding speed. The smallest miscalculation could spell disaster but at the same time, hesitation could lead to a small window of opportunity being slammed shut. And that could be equally as disastrous. 

He’d only requested her presence, he hadn’t mentioned any specifics. She could work that angle if need be. Besides, three days without Thrawn would be a considerable advantage for the rebels. 

“Name the time, Admiral.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hera’s pensive mood was broken by a stirring beside her. For a moment, she froze in place out of instinct, as if she’d been spotted by her enemy. Eventually she forced herself to relax and turned her back to the window to let her eyes trail over the body next to her.

Somehow he’d managed to maintain the same confident air about him even in his sleep. She watched his chest rise and fall slowly and evenly, admiring the chiseled lines of his muscles in secret. He looked... peaceful, in a sense.

And that was probably due to the amount of aggression the two of them had worked out in the very same bed they currently shared. Thrawn was as attentive, relentless, and methodical in bed as he was in battle. 

At first, she had given in out of fear that her family’s heirloom would never be returned. To his credit, he’d never implied that. And Hera found it surprisingly easy to lose herself in the strange, heated passion she’d found with him. 

Again she found herself lost in thought, thinking back upon the moment where everything had changed. 

“Why me?” Hera asked, her arms folded across her chest and her back resting against the door to the suite he’d reserved for them, “plenty of females within the Empire who’d jump at the chance. Yet here you are, shacking up with your enemy. I’m a little confused.”

Thrawn considered her words carefully before pulling himself up from the circular couch at the center of the common area. “You are not my enemy, General. You are an adversary.”

“There’s a difference?” She cocked a brow, adding a matching look to her skeptical tone. 

“A distinct one. An enemy will always be just that. An adversary, however, can sometimes become an ally.” Thrawn answered, checking her expression for understanding. He wasn’t disappointed. He lessened the distance between them some. 

“You’d have to assume that your adversary sees you in the same light.” Hera countered. The fact that he was slowly drawing closer caused her muscles to clench as if she were preparing to fight. 

He’d taken notice of the reaction and stopped, folding his hands behind his back patiently. “Your being here shows that, even to the smallest degree, you believe you can trust my word. Would you trust the word of an enemy?” 

“Desperation does strange things.” Hera shrugged. Honestly she had no idea what had possessed her to act upon the offer so impulsively. But there she was. 

And so was he. And just a little closer than a moment before. 

“Indeed. To answer your question in a more specific manner, there isn’t another as worthy of my attention as you are.” A few steps more brought him within arms reach. 

Hera smirked at his explanation, gently shaking her head so that the tails of her lekku swayed back and forth. “You’ve got a high opinion of yourself, Admiral.”

“I simply value my time and effort. Both are a commodity not to be wasted. We are warriors, General. The difference is in our views of right and wrong but not our values.” He closed in on her, towering over her as he awaited her next move. When none came, he continued. 

“We are the opposite sides of the same coin. One without the other is worthless and there is much to be gained if we come together.” 

Hera would have snorted in laughter at what seemed like an obvious pun if she hadn’t found her lips seized by his. She tensed at first, shocked by the sudden act of affection. But his kiss was commanding and intense; Hera lost herself in it faster than she’d care to admit. 

He took his time with her, exploring her with his mouth and mapping her out with his hands. He handled her as if he’d known every one of her most intimate secrets. While he took he kept the same pace, he was not gentle in his approach. Hera was fierce and possessed a fire in her that needed to be fed, not snuffed. 

Whatever shame she felt was burned away under the heat of his kiss. Hera did not hold back in her return...

For the next three days, the pair did not step foot outside their suite. The Markets of Vaynai were ignored, the beaches forgotten. No Empire. No Rebellion. All that remained were two warriors whose battlefield had changed, their weapons now their bodies. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Our Time has come to an end.” Thrawn’s voice rumbled in his chest against her ear. “For now.”

“For now?” Hera turned her head up to toss him a questioning look. She couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at the sated look on the face that usually seemed so impassive. 

“Our paths will cross again, of that I’m certain.” As small as the smile was, it was also full of confidence. “You have what I need, I have what you want.”

“Wasn’t it the other way around?” Hera cocked a delicate brow, not quite catching on. 

“Precisely. And it is that wanting that will bring you back.” His hand gently caressed her right lek, causing her to shiver and him to smirk in response. 

The two of them dressed, one sneaking glances at the other while their back was turned. Hera paused from taking inventory and fixed him with an expectant look. 

“Your Kalikori is on the common room display table. I only ask this: wait until I leave and remember all that I’ve said to you.” Thrawn clasped a belt around his waist to hold his plain black tunic in place. He’d forgone his Imperial attire as to not draw attention. 

Hera immediately became suspicious at his request and opened her mouth to protest. 

“Trust in who I am as you did when you first came here, Hera.” He paused, waiting to see if she offered any further protest. When she offered none, he turned for the door. 

“Until next time, General.”

The door slid closed behind him with a quiet click. 

Hera stared at the door, half expecting it to burst open with a flood of stormtroopers falling in. Satisfied that there was no threat, she pulled on her boots and hurried into the common room. 

As promised, there sat her family’s Kalikori. Only something had changed...

Hera picked up the Kalikori reverently and inspected the new addition... a block with a blue circle carved and painted into the front. Smaller white circles extended outward toward the edge with one central one located near the middle. Her thumb swept over the carving, wondering for a brief moment what it was until his velvet voice echoed in her mind. 

 

_“Our paths will cross again, of that I am certain.”_

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
